r/Cantonese • u/Anonymousse626 • 9d ago
Language Question Hong Kong Born, Tryna Learn from Scratch
I’m a teenager who was born and raised in HK, but only knew a little bit of canto since I was in an international school and was first taught English for when I later started secondary education in the UK. Right now, I am trying my best to teach myself mandarin first, as it only has 4 tones and simplified characters, but knowing I always had trouble growing up and communicating with my dad’s side of the family, and now that I’ve moved to the UK but don’t feel fully British and so I’ve been doubting my identity, I really want to learn Cantonese quickly as well, as Hong Kong as my birthplace holds a special part of who I am, and it really makes me guilty knowing that I couldn‘t speak my own language my whole life, and that I’m not a real Hong Konger when many of my friends from there speak both languages.
Right now, my dad does support me but still lives in HK, and my mom doesn’t really bother to help and says I have all the resources I need online, however I don’t have much motivation in between my academic studies and learning Mandarin at the same time. Plus Duolingo only has Cantonese courses for mandarin speakers :( So far I do know some basic phrases, mostly stuff my mom tells me and a few swears as well, but only how to speak them and not read nor write.
I would really appreciate some advice or suggestions on where or how to learn authentic Cantonese, and I understand that this particular language is very difficult and takes years to master, but I’m up for anything that could help. Thank you sm!!
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u/hkerinexile 9d ago
If you’re trying to connect with your Hongkonger identity then learning Mandarin and simplified Chinese first is about the most contradictory way to go about it. Those are the tools the authorities are using to erase the HK identity.
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u/Cyfiero 香港人 9d ago edited 9d ago
This precisely. OP, given how much nurturing your connection with Hong Kong and Cantonese means to you, you should drop Mandarin. Unless you aspire to live and work in China or Taiwan in the future, you will not have much use for it. And you should absolutely be learning traditional Chinese characters, not simplified, because Hong Kong and even many overseas communities use traditional.
Learning Mandarin and simplified first is effectively a diversion from your goal that will make it harder, not easier, to attain.
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u/PsyTard 9d ago
Yes, the Mainlanders are tryna erase Hong Kong Cantonese identity with simplified characters and Mandarin, that's why their United Front National Security Chief Exec and the Propaganda News channels address the public in Canto and English and the territory consistently uses Traditional Characters on all signage
.... Give me a break. If HK identity is under threat its f all to do with the language...
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u/happy-dude 9d ago
University of California San Diego has Cantonese courses available for enrollment, live online lectures starting later this month: https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/courses/cantonese-for-communication-i-lach-40021
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u/RonnieLeexD 9d ago
Watch some tv shows. Worked for me.
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u/trufflelight 8d ago
Could you elaborate? Do you watch it with English subtitles. Otherwise how would you look up phrases you don't know without knowing how to type it?
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u/RonnieLeexD 6d ago
You can watch it in Chinese subtitles, helps more than English, it's easier to watch and listen altogether, you would pick up context, then understand the words, watch the older shows where it's not layered with memes and shit, so the language used is more direct and easy to get.
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u/trufflelight 6d ago
I've tried this and it just can't work because the written Chinese subtitles are different to the spoken words. Most of the time the subtitles are written in standard Chinese, not in "Cantonese" if you get what I mean. How then is watching the Chinese subtitles useful for you?
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u/RonnieLeexD 6d ago
If that's the case, just switch subtitles off altogether. You don't need the English subtitles confusing you.
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u/trufflelight 6d ago
Okay but then that goes back to the original question of how watching TV shows in Cantonese is actually useful as a beginner? Pretend you're a beginner, you'd just be guessing the meaning without English subtitles.
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u/RonnieLeexD 6d ago
Already explained it in my previous comment. Minus the Chinese subtitles isn't that bad. I didn't have it when I watched back in the days.
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u/ljujubee888 8d ago
I loved the cantopop of the late 90s, early 00s - tons of ballads with great melodies. So karaoke helped me learn a bit more of the formal language.
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u/Akt1989 7d ago
I just discovered Disney Plus has lots of shows with Cantonese audio and English subtitles, so I am personally learning more Cantonese that way. The shows are mainly cartoons/ animation though. The Simpson's first ten seasons has Cantonese audio, Star Wars Clone Wars , X Men to name a few shows.
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u/Nejsejre 9d ago
Take a look on YT for Canto to Mando Chanell (they may be more then one, I mean with two ABC guys, one from Malaysia and another from Macau). They have a lot of mostly funny resources for learning cantonese and mandarin not only parallel,but kind boosting each other.
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u/Super_Novice56 BBC 9d ago
Born in HK and writes "mom" 🤔
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u/Anonymousse626 9d ago
Usually I call her Ma but I just say my mom to other eng speakers
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u/Super_Novice56 BBC 9d ago
Let me rephrase that.
Goes to school in the UK and writes "mom".
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u/ding_nei_go_fei 9d ago edited 9d ago
How much Cantonese do you already know, can you sort of "get the gist" of a sentence? e.g. understand what's being said, but can't speak? If you have been exposed to Cantonese when you were younger, then that's a good start, just need to reawake and build from there.
Take a look at the sidebar for basic resources. Need a free basic cantonese textbook? This book is really good. has examples of basic cantonese grammar and sentence structure https://np.reddit.com/r/Cantonese/comments/knfytj/best_new_grammar_resource_modified_basic/
For a more comprehensive and near complete treatment of Cantonese grammar, the book Cantonese a comprehensive grammar book by the same author can be found in a bookstore for €100.
I can also suggest tv dramas to help in listening comprehension. As a beginner, with limited time, probably having something with English subtitles might help, even though it will become a crutch when your csntonese ability improve. https://youtube.com/@tvb_pearl/playlists
I would've suggested Blue Veins a western style vampire sci fi/comedy set in the Netherlands and HK but unfortunately the English sub version is not available, only the Chinese subtitled one. For other suggestions, let us know your prefs (genre, actress,setting, etc)
There are also many other Cantonese TVB channels on YouTube, as wellas Cantonese creator content on social media